The relationship between the phosphate and structural carbonate fractionation of fallow deer bioapatite in tooth enamel

The species‐specific relationship between phosphate (δ18OP values) and structural carbonate (δ18OC values) oxygen isotope ratios has been established for several modern and fossil animal species but until now it has not been investigated in European fallow deer (Dama dama dama). This study describes the relationship between phosphate and structural carbonate bioapatite in tooth enamel of extant fallow deer, which will help us further understand the species' unique environmental and cultural history. Methods The oxygen isotope composition of phosphate (δ18OP value) and structural carbonate (δ18OC value) of hydroxylapatite was determined in 51 modern fallow deer tooth enamel samples from across Europe and West Asia. The δ18OC values were measured on a GV IsoPrime dual‐inlet mass spectrometer and the δ18OP values on a temperature‐controlled elemental analyser (TC/EA) coupled to a DeltaPlus XL isotope ratio mass spectrometer via a ConFlo III interface. Results This study establishes a direct and linear relationship between the δ18OC and δ18OP values from fallow deer tooth enamel (δ18OC = +9.244(±0.216) + 0.958 * δ18OP (±0.013)). Despite the successful regression, the variation in δ18O values from samples collected in the same geographical area is greater than expected, although the results cluster in broad climatic groupings when Koppen‐Geiger classifications are taken into account for the individuals' locations. Conclusions This is the first comprehensive study of the relationship between ionic forms of oxygen (phosphate oxygen and structural carbonate) in fallow deer dental enamel. The new equation will allow direct comparison with other herbivore data. Variable δ18O values within populations of fallow deer broadly reflect the ecological zones they are found in which may explain this pattern of results in other euryphagic species

Wild to domestic and back again: the dynamics of fallow deer management in medieval England (c.11th-16th century AD)

This paper presents the results of the first comprehensive scientific study of the fallow deer, a non-native species whose medieval-period introduction to Britain transformed the cultural landscape. It brings together data from traditional zooarchaeological analyses with those derived from new ageing techniques as well as the results of a programme of radiocarbon dating, multi-element isotope studies and genetic analyses. These new data are here integrated with historical and landscape evidence to examine changing patterns of fallow deer translocation and management in medieval England between the 11th and 16th century AD

Grey wolf genomic history reveals a dual ancestry of dogs

The grey wolf (Canis lupus) was the first species to give rise to a domestic population, and they remained widespread throughout the last Ice Age when many other large mammal species went extinct. Little is known, however, about the history and possible extinction of past wolf populations or when and where the wolf progenitors of the present-day dog lineage (Canisfamiliaris) lived(1-8). Here we analysed 72 ancient wolf genomes spanning the last 100,000 years from Europe, Siberia and North America. We found that wolf populations were highly connected throughout the Late Pleistocene, with levels of differentiation an order of magnitude lower than they are today. This population connectivity allowed us to detect natural selection across the time series, including rapid fixation of mutations in the gene IFT8840,000-30,000 years ago. We show that dogs are overall more closely related to ancient wolves from eastern Eurasia than to those from western Eurasia, suggesting a domestication process in the east. However, we also found that dogs in the Near East and Africa derive up to half of their ancestry from a distinct population related to modern southwest Eurasian wolves, reflecting either an independent domestication process or admixture from local wolves. None of the analysed ancient wolf genomes is a direct match for either of these dog ancestries, meaning that the exact progenitor populations remain to be located.Peer reviewe

Dead or alive?: investigating long-distance transport of live fallow deer and their body parts in antiquity

The extent to which breeding populations of fallow deer were established in Roman Europe has been obscured by the possibility that the skeletal remains of the species, in particular Dama foot bones and antlers, were traded over long distances as objects in their own right. This paper sets out to refine our understanding of the evidence for the transportation of living and dead fallow deer in Iron Age and Roman Europe. To achieve this, museum archives containing purportedly early examples of Dama antler were searched, with available specimens sampled for carbon, nitrogen and strontium isotope analyses, and compared with data for archaeological fallow deer from across Europe. Importantly, the resulting isotope values can be interpreted in light of new modern baseline data for fallow deer presented here. Together these multi-isotope results for modern and archaeological fallow deer provide a more critical perspective on the transportation of fallow deer and their body parts in antiquity

The 10,000-year biocultural history of fallow deer and its implications for conservation policy

Over the last 10,000 years, humans have manipulated fallow deer populations with varying outcomes. Persian fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica) are now endangered. European fallow deer (Dama dama) are globally widespread and are simultaneously considered wild, domestic, endangered, invasive, and are even the national animal of Barbuda and Antigua. Despite their close association with people, there is no consensus regarding their natural ranges or the timing and circumstances of their human-mediated translocations and extirpations. Our mitochondrial analyses of modern and archaeological specimens revealed two distinct clades of European fallow deer present in Anatolia and the Balkans. Zooarchaeological evidence suggests these regions were their sole glacial refugia. By combining biomolecular analyses with archaeological and textual evidence, we chart the declining distribution of Persian fallow deer and demonstrate that humans repeatedly translocated European fallow deer, sourced from the most geographically distant populations. Deer taken to Chios and Rhodes in the Neolithic derived not from nearby Anatolia, but from the Balkans. Though fallow deer were translocated throughout the Mediterranean as part of their association with the Greco-Roman goddesses Artemis and Diana, deer taken to Roman Mallorca were not locally available Dama dama, but Dama mesopotamica. Romans also initially introduced fallow deer to Northern Europe but the species became extinct and was reintroduced in the medieval period, this time from Anatolia. European colonial powers then transported deer populations across the globe. We argue that these biocultural histories of fallow deer should underpin modern management strategie

The 10,000-year biocultural history of fallow deer and its implications for conservation policy

Over the last 10,000 y, humans have manipulated fallow deer populations with varying outcomes. Persian fallow deer ( Dama mesopotamica ) are now endangered. European fallow deer ( Dama dama ) are globally widespread and are simultaneously considered wild, domestic, endangered, invasive and are even the national animal of Barbuda and Antigua. Despite their close association with people, there is no consensus regarding their natural ranges or the timing and circumstances of their human-mediated translocations and extirpations. Our mitochondrial analyses of modern and archaeological specimens revealed two distinct clades of European fallow deer present in Anatolia and the Balkans. Zooarchaeological evidence suggests these regions were their sole glacial refugia. By combining biomolecular analyses with archaeological and textual evidence, we chart the declining distribution of Persian fallow deer and demonstrate that humans repeatedly translocated European fallow deer, sourced from the most geographically distant populations. Deer taken to Neolithic Chios and Rhodes derived not from nearby Anatolia, but from the Balkans. Though fallow deer were translocated throughout the Mediterranean as part of their association with the Greco-Roman goddesses Artemis and Diana, deer taken to Roman Mallorca were not locally available Dama dama , but Dama mesopotamica . Romans also initially introduced fallow deer to Northern Europe but the species became extinct and was reintroduced in the medieval period, this time from Anatolia. European colonial powers then transported deer populations across the globe. The biocultural histories of fallow deer challenge preconceptions about the divisions between wild and domestic species and provide information that should underpin modern management strategies

The conservation of a 19th Century giant deer display skeleton for public exhibition

Following a mishap, a 19th Century mounted giant deer was subjected to a detailed osteological assessment and conservation treatment which required both structura repair and the extensive modeling of broken and missing skeletal components. The historic mounting system and plinth were largely intact and structurally safe for the skeleton and so these could be retained along with any historic restorations deemed sound and non-damaging. The original skull suffered irreparable damage and both antlers were detached from the specimen. A replacement skull was acquired but it was necessary to attach the original antlers to the new skull in a manner both structurally sound and aesthetically accurate enough for the deer to be placed backon open display. After testing commonly used conservation-grade filler materials suitable for fabricating missing skeletal components, losses to the vertebra and the ribcage were re-built using epoxy resin bulked to putty consistency with phenolicmicroballoons and applied over barrier layers of Paraloid B72 and Japanese tissue. All losses were in-painted with earth pigments in Paraloid B72 before rearticulation. The unique role of this specimen determined the conservation approaches adopted and included a balanced consideration of conservation ethical concerns, client expectations, future structural stability, aesthetic impact and the limitations of the future display location

The conservation of a 19th Century giant deer display skeleton for public exhibition

Following a mishap, a 19th Century mounted giant deer was subjected to a detailed osteological assessment and conservation treatment which required both structura repair and the extensive modeling of broken and missing skeletal components. The historic mounting system and plinth were largely intact and structurally safe for the skeleton and so these could be retained along with any historic restorations deemed sound and non-damaging. The original skull suffered irreparable damage and both antlers were detached from the specimen. A replacement skull was acquired but it was necessary to attach the original antlers to the new skull in a manner both structurally sound and aesthetically accurate enough for the deer to be placed backon open display. After testing commonly used conservation-grade filler materials suitable for fabricating missing skeletal components, losses to the vertebra and the ribcage were re-built using epoxy resin bulked to putty consistency with phenolicmicroballoons and applied over barrier layers of Paraloid B72 and Japanese tissue. All losses were in-painted with earth pigments in Paraloid B72 before rearticulation. The unique role of this specimen determined the conservation approaches adopted and included a balanced consideration of conservation ethical concerns, client expectations, future structural stability, aesthetic impact and the limitations of the future display location

Ireland\u27s fallow deer: Their historical, archaeological and biomolecular records

The Anglo-Normans first introduced fallow deer (Dama dama) to Ireland in the thirteenth century, however no biomolecular research has previously been undertaken to examine the timing, circumstances and impact of the arrival of this species. This study combines historical, zooarchaeological, genetic and isotopic data from both medieval and post-medieval samples to address this lack of research. The paper identifies a peak in the presence of fallow deer in Ireland between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, with a corresponding peak in documentary evidence for their presence in the thirteenth century. The deer are predominantly male, and from castle sites, supporting the historical evidence for their link with elite hunting. The English origin of the source populations shows correspondence between the documentary evidence, suggesting a western bias-and genetic evidence-with a similarity to southern and western England. Furthermore a stable isotope study identifies two possible first-generation imports, one dating from the medieval period and one from the post-medieval period.British Arts and Humanities Research Counci